Talking machines



Aug. 9, 1955 BACHER TALKING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 16, 1952 INVENTDR Eric Backer.

ATTORNEY Aug. 9, 1955 E. BACHER 2,715,027

TALKING MACHINES Filed July 16, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Eric Backer.

ATTORNEY Aug. 9, 1955 E. BACHER TALKING MACHINES Filed July 16, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 F r JR L3 I J I I in. i

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" INVENTOR, Eric Backer.

ATTORNEY United States Patent TALKING MACHINES Eric Bacher, Yverdon, Switzerland, assignor to Paillard IS. 13., Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, a company of Switzer- The invention has for its subject a talking machine of the type with automatic changing of discs, comprising a selecting spindle, a cyclic device comprising a wheel making a complete revolution at each changing of a disc and principally controlling:

a. the movements of the pick-up arm towards and away from the disc turntable,

b. the placing into the active position of a device for feeling the diameter of the discs to be played,

0. a timing device ensuring a period of pause between the playing of two successive discs,

!d. the selecting spindle producing the feed of a disc on to the disc turntable.

In talking machines of known construction the manual control members should generally be locked during the disc changing cycle so as to avoid locking or a disarrangement of the machine. Further, in talking machines provided with a timing device, the other control members are locked during the pause, so that it is first necessary to annul this, before being able to efiect the other operations (stop, rejection and so forth).

The talking machine hereinafter described is provided with a control mechanism allowing of great simplicity in construction, whilst avoiding the use of locking elements thus eliminating risks of locking, or incorrect operations.

This talking machine is distinguished from talking machines of known construction by the fact that it is provided with a control device comprising a lever of which one end is adapted to co-operate successively during the course of rotation of the wheel of the cycles with two stops secured to this and located at a difierent distance from the centre of the said wheel, the first of the said stops being adapted to lock the wheel of cycles during the playing of a disc and the second ensuring the locking of the said wheel during the pause, the different positions which the said lever is capable of occupying being determined by a control member co-operating therewith and capable of occupying three positions, one being the stop position, the second the starting position and the third the rejecting position in which the disc changing mechanism produces, in particular, the changing of the disc whilst one of the discs is in the course of being played.

One form of construction of the machine according to the invention is shown diagrammatically and by way of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of its mechanism for controlling the stopping position.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the said mechanism in the pause position.

Fig. 3 is a View in elevation of a part of the mechanism.

The control mechanism of this talking machine comprises a toothed wheel 1, pivoted at 2 on a plate 3, and which gears with a pinion 4 secured to the disc turntable 5 pivoted at 6 and bearing against a ball bearing 7. At the periphery of the wheel 1 are provided two notches 8 and 9 enabling the wheel 1 to be disengaged from the pinion 4. The wheel 1, called the wheel of cycles, controls the operations of changing a disc during its rotation 2,715,627 Patented Aug. 9, 1955 through a revolution about its axis. It is provided with two stops 10 and 11, co-operating with a lever 12 pivoted at 13 for stopping the rotation of the wheel 1 when the notches 8 and 9 are opposite the pinion 4.

A cam 14 is mounted fixedly on the wheel 1.

A lever 15, pivoted at 16, bears under the action of a spring 18 against the cam 14 through the medium of a finger 17. On the lever is pivoted a pivot 20 carrying a wheel 19 forming part of a timing device described in greater detail in patent application No. 266,687. A wire 21, wound on the pivot 20, passes around a pulley 22 and is then hooked to the lever 12. The pulley 22 turns at 23 on a tensioning device 24 pivoted at 25 and pulled by a spring 26.

A lever 27, pivoted at 28, bears, under the action of a spring 30, against the cam 14 through the medium of a finger 29. The lever 27, by its arm 31, opens a switch 32. A control member, formed by a lever 33, pivoted at 34, carries a finger which comes into contact with a part in the form of a cam 36 of the lever 27. The lever 33 has three arcs of a circle 33a, 33b, 330, against which bears a finger 40 carried by the lever 12, pulled by a spring 41.

The stop 10 of the wheel 1 of cycles is so conceived that it comes into contact with the bent end of the lever 12, when the finger 40 of the latter bears against one of the arcs of a circle 33a or 33b. The stop 11 itself does not abut against the lever 12, except when the finger 40 is in contact with the edge 33b. When the edge 33c corresponds with the finger 40, the lever 12 does not stop any of the stops 10 and 11.

A link 42 has one end pivoted at 43 on the wheel 1, and the other end at 44 to a lever 45, pivoted at 46, provided for controlling the outward movements of the pickup arm through the medium of a finger 56. A lever 47, also pivoted at 46, controls the inward movements of the pick-up arm through the medium of the finger 56. Its other end 48, pulled by a spring 57, comes into contact with a cam 49 pivoted at 50. The cam 49 forms part of a feeler device of. the diameter of the discs to be played, described in detail in application No. 266,688. The position of the cam 49 determines the diameter at which the pick-up arm is positioned on the edge of the disc to be played.

A lever 51, pivoted at 52, comes to bear by its edge 53 against the pivotal axis 44 of the link 42, this under the action of a spring 55.

One edge 54 of the lever 51 is adapted to act on the finger 56 which is secured to the pick-up arm for lifting this above the pile of discs located above the disc turntable 5 (Fig. 3). The finger 56 passes through an opening 58 provided in the plate 3; this opening 58 in the form of a segment of a circle concentric with the axis of rotation of the pick-up arm, limits the movements of the finger 56 and determines the raised position of the pick-up arm. This position is determined when an element 59 mounted on the finger 56 abuts against the edge 61 of the opening 58 under the action of the edge 54 of the lever 51. The element 59 is of conical shape, and movable along the rod 56 in such a manner as to render possible the adjustment of the elevation of the pick-up arm.

A lever 62 pivoted at 63 is located in. the path of the finger 56 of the pick-up arm which causes it to pivot in a counter-clockwise direction when it moves towards the centre of the disc turntable. The edge 65 of the lever 62 enables the latter to be returned to its starting position, when the pick-up arm moves towards the outside of the disc turntable. A rod 66 is connected to the lever 62 by means of a friction device 64; the other end of the rod is hooked at 68 to a lever 67 pivoted at 69. The other end of the lever 67 carries a pawl 70 pivoting and bearing under the action of a spring 71 against the edge 72 of the lever 12. The lever 67 also comes into contact by its edge 74 with a pin 75 mounted on the driving pinion 4, the said pin also serving to drive the wheel 19 of the timing device when this comes into engagement therewith.

The lever 33 is connected by a rod 76 to an actuating knob or lever 77 pivoted at 78, and which can assume the three positions of stopping Sp, starting St, rejecting Re, corresponding with the coming into contact of the finger 40 with the edge 33a, 33b, 330 respectively of the lever 33. A spring 80 always moves the control lever 77 from reject to start.

The lever 33 can move axially upwards when there are no longer any discs to be played; in this position the finger 35 is hooked by a pin 79, secured underneath the wheel 1, which pushes it in such a manner as to place the lever in the position in which its edge 33a is opposite the finger 40, that is to say the control knob 77 at stop.

The wheel 1 also carries the control members of a selecting spindle described in detail in patent application No. 255,166.

A lever 81, pivoted at 34 co-axially with the lever 33 has an edge 81a in the form of an arc of a circle of the same radius as the edge 33a, and which may be placed in correspondence with the finger 40. In this position it prevents the lever 12 from stopping the stop 11, during the changing of a disc, in other words, the pause between the playing of two discs is eliminated.

A pawl 83, pivoted at 84 is pulled by a spring 85 against a stop 86. The shape of this pawl is such that, when its bears against its stop 86, it allows the lever 47 (48) to pass in one direction, but retains it when said lever 47 (48) tends to control the return of the pick-up arm in the direction of the turntable 5.

A rod 87 is hooked at one end to the manual control lever 77 and on the other hand by its other end in the form of a hook 89, to a pin 88 of the pawl 83. When the manual control lever is at stop, the pawl 83 is in a position for hooking the lever 47 by its bent end 48. In the other positions of the control lever 77 (start, rejecting) the pawl 83 is withdrawn rearwardly in such a manner as not to be capable of coming into contact with the lever 47.

The operation of this mechanism is as follows:

The apparatus being stopped the mechanism is in the position shown in Fig. 1. When the control lever 77 is moved to start, the lever 33 pivots and its edge 33!) comes opposite the finger 40. The finger 35 repels the lever 27 against the action of its spring 30 and the switch 32 is closed. The motor, not shown in the drawing, thus drives the disc turntable 5. This driving of the turntable 5 may take place either through its spindle 6, or through a friction wheel driven by the motor and acting on the periphery of the turntable 5.

When the control lever is brought to reject the lever 33 pivots and the edge 33c repels the lever 12 through the medium of finger 40, in such a manner that the end of this lever 12 releases the stop It). The wheel 1 is thus driven in rotation under the action of the spring 18 acting through the medium of the lever or pressing the finger 17 against the inclined part 14a of the cam 14. After a small angle of rotation, the wheel 1 is engaged with the pinion 4 which drives it until the recess 9 is opposite the pinion 4, and the stop 11 comes into contact with the lever 12 (see Fig. 2). In fact, during this first portion of the cycle, the knob 77 is allowed to return to start under the action of the spring 80, that is to say that the edge 33b of the lever 33 is opposite the finger 40. The lever 12 is then definitely in position for stopping the stop 11. In this position the recess 14bof the cam 14 allows the lever 15 to pivot and allows the wheel 19 of the timing device to come into engagement with the pin 75 (see patent application No. 226,

.- ing through the finger 29 of the lever 27 on the part 14a of the cam 14. The wheel 1 terminates its cycle and during this operation it returns the timing device to its inoperative position. Further, it controls the movement of return of the pick-up arm by the lever 47, pulled by the spring 57 until the end 48 abuts against the cam 49 of the device for feeling the diameter of the discs to be played. This latter is placed in position when the disc to be played drops during the first portion of the cycle. The pivotal axis 44 has repelled the lever 51 rearwardly, this having enabled the pick-up arm to be placed on the disc to be played.

When the pick-up arm approaches the centre of the disc, the finger 56 pushes against the lever 62 which, as it pivots, pulls the rod 66 through the medium of the friction device 64. The lever 67 comes into contact, by its edge 74, with the pin 75 which repels it at each revolution, the friction device 64 absorbing the difierence in the stroke.

When the pick-up arm is in the recorded portion of the disc, the feed per revolution is insufiicient to cause the pawl 70 to leave the edge 72 and drop into the notch 73 of the lever 12. When, however, the needle of the pick-up is in the last groove of the disc, the feed is more rapid and the pawl 70 has a suificient stroke to fall into the notch 73 before being repelled rearwardly by the pin 75. On the next passage of this, the lever 67 is repelled rearwardly and the pawl 70, engaging with the notch 73, causes the lever 12 to pivot in such a manner as to cause it to release the stop 10; thus the disc chang ing cycle recommences.

When all the discs have been played, a detecting device for the end of the series, described in patent application No. 255,165, now abandoned, lifts the lever 33. At this moment, the pin 79 fixed under the wheel of cycles engages the finger and pushes it in such a manner as to move the lever 33 into the position shown in Fig. l, in other words into the position in which the manual control lever 77 is at stop. In this position, no pause occurs, and the wheel 1 carries out a complete rotation without stopping at the notch 9. The switch 32 remains closed during the cycle and it is only at the last moment that the current is switched off, when the finger 29 of the lever 27 falls into the notch 14b of the cam 14. When coming into the stop position, the manual control lever has released the pawl 83, which has hooked on to the beak 48 of the lever 47 so as to prevent it from controlling the return of the pick-up arm. Thereupon the lever 51 has allowed the pick-up arm to descend on to its support, at the outside of the disc turntable.

When the talking machine is provided with a mechanism for driving the turntable 5 by means of a friction roller (see patent application No. 289,373), the lever 27 may, besides controlling the switch 32, control the withdrawal of the roller, so that it does not produce a flat or other permanent deformation at the points of: con tact between the roller and the turntable or the roller and the driving shaft of the motor; such a deformation being liable to occur when the apparatus is allowed to remain inoperative for a long period of time.

I claim:

1. In a talking machine with automatic changing of discs, the combination, comprising, frame means, a cyclic device rotatably mounted on the frame means and comprising a toothed wheel rotating a full turn at each change of a disc and having two opposite tooth-bare notches in its periphery for intermittent drive of the wheel, a pinion meshing with the wheel for driving same, a pair of stops fixed to the wheel at different distances from the axis thereof and aligned with the notches, a lever fulcrumed on the frame means for locking tln wheel by engaging one of the stops, cam means movably mounted on the frame means for controlling the angular position of the locking lever and movable to one of three different positions, a manually operable member mounted on the frame means and movable to stop, start ing and rejecting positions and connected to the cam means for movement thereof, a motor having a notch urged to closed position and driving the pinion, a control device on the frame means and controlling the cyclic device and controlled by the cam means and in the stop position of the manually operable member opening the motor switch, a pick-up arm pivoted to the frame means for vertical and horizontal motion, means actuated by the wheel and swinging the pick-up arm vertically up and then horizontally and vertically down to a position above the disc for playing same and after playing the disc swinging the pick-up arm vertically up and horizon-- tally outwardly of the disc and vertically down, feeler means movably mounted on the frame means and controlling the horizontal swing of the picloup arm, and :1 timing device controlled by the cyclic device and con trolling the position of the locking lever in the path of the second stop for assuring a pause between the play of two discs.

2. The combination according to claim 1, and wherein the cyclic device also includes a cam rotating with the wheel and the timing device includes a lever fulcrumed on the frame means and urged to engage the wheel cam and thereby rotating the wheel for meshing with the pinion at the commencement of the cycle for changing disc and releasing the locking lever from the first stop by the movement of the manually operable member from stop to starting position, the control device controlling the motor switch is a lever fulcrumed on the frame means and engaging the cam and thereby rotating the wheel for meshing same with the pinion after the locking lever releases the second wheel stop.

3. The combination according to claim 1, and wherein the cyclic device also includes a cam rotating with the wheel and the timing device includes a lever fulcrumtj. on the frame means and urged to engage the wheel cam and thereby rotating the wheel for meshing with the pinion at the commencement of the cycle for changing disc and releasing the locking lever from the first stop by the movement of the manually operable member fro-.21 stop to starting position, the control device controlling the motor switch is a lever fulcrumed on the frame means and engaging the cam and thereby rotating the wheel for meshing same with the pinion after the locking lever releases the second wheel stop, and also comprising a manually operable lever fulcrumed on the frame means and preventing the locking lever from obstructing the path of the second stop and thereby eliminating the pause.

4. The combination according to claim 1, and wherein the pick-up arm carries a finger and the means swinging the pick-up arm inwardly over the disc includes a lever fulcrumed on the frame and engaging the pick-up arm finger for movement thereof and also comprising pawl means movably mounted on the frame and controlled by the manually operable means and in the stop position of same preventing the finger engaging lever from moving the pick-up arm, and a support supporting the pick-up arm in a position outwardly of the disc.

5. The combination according to claim 1, and wherein the pick-up arm carries a finger and the means swinging the pick-up arm inwardly over the disc includes a lever fulcrumed on the frame and engaging the pick-up arm finger for movement thereof and also comprising pawl means movably mounted on the frame and controlled by the manually operable means and in the stop position of same preventing the finger engaging lever from moving the pick-up arm, and a support supporting the pickup arm in a position outwardly of the disc, the: finger carrying a stop adjustable thereon and engageable with the frame means for limiting the upward swing of the pick-up arm.

6. The combination according to claim 1, and wherein the cam means is a lever fulcrumed on the frame means and comprising three cams concentric with the fulcrum axis and of different radii, one of the cams engaging the locking lever in the stop position, the second one in the starting position and the third in the reject position of the manually operable control member.

7. The combination according to claim 1, and wherein the cyclic device comprises a cam rotating with the wheel and the timing device includes a lever fulcrumed on the frame means and urged to engage the wheel cam and thereby rotating the wheel for meshing same with the driving pinion after releasing the locking lever from the first wheel stop, and the control device comprises a second lever fulcrumed on the frame and urged to engage the wheel cam and thereby rotating the wheel for meshing same with the pinion after releasing the locking lever from the second stop, the lever comprised by the control device being also urged to a position opening the motor switch, the cam means including a part engaging the switch controlling lever.

8. The combination according to claim 1, and wherein the locking lever has a notch, and also comprising a pawl movably mounted on the frame means and controlled by the pick-up arm moving rapidly toward the center of the disc and moving the locking lever to a position releasing the first wheel stop.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,333,414 De Tar Nov. 2, 1943 2,426,978 Alexandcrsson Sept. 9, 1947 2,457,106 Pressley Dec. 21, 1948 2,511,567 Compare June 13, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 572,688 Great Britain Oct. 18, 1945 616,352 Great Britain Ian. 20, 1949 

